Whats New

Mar2014

SMITH OPTICS: Archive Collection

PAST PERFORMANCES

Celebrating its history, Smith Optics reintroduces sunglasses from its past with the launch of the Archive Collection. The five styles in this collection—Cheetah, Mt. Shasta, Marvine, Delano and Cornice—are exact replicas of original Smith frames from 1988, 1991 and 1993. Each frame is offered in its original colors and labeled with its initial launch year. The frames are still constructed from cellulose propionate, but updated with Carbonic TLT lenses and are available in polarized and non-polarized options.

PHILOSOPHY: “With the Archive Collection, we celebrate our past as we enter
our 50th year. The collection comes directly from Smith’s launch into eyewear more than 30 years ago. The designs we produced back then are amazingly contemporary once again. The collection itself uses nearly forgotten manufacturing techniques and materials that while commonly used in the ’80s are a rare find today,” says Eric Carlson, Smith vice president of product and design. Ben Flandro, eyewear product manager, adds, “With the trends of late turning to vintage styles, it made sense to look directly into our own archives. The styles themselves were spot on back in their day, and we felt they are perfect for the style resurgence we’re seeing now. For us, the coolest part is that whether you were around when ‘Appetite for Destruction’ and ‘Nevermind’ were released the first time or just discovering them now, they’re as relevant today as they were then. We feel the same about these styles.”

MARKETING: Merchandising materials include three
different-sized visuals and shelves to slot into counter and medium or large Smith sunglass cases. Custom visuals
and build-outs are available. Each frame comes in a
brown paper box with a fleece bag, mirroring the
original packaging.

INSIGHTIn 1965, Dr. Bob Smith founded Smith Optics with the creation of the first goggle, featuring a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam. His goal was to provide superior quality sunglasses that would make everyone’s outside experience even better.